Old fashioned McDonald's Fried Apple Pie

My husband loves McDonald's apple pies and now my kids do too!  He misses the deep fried pies but has gotten used to the baked version.  We found this recipe and had to try it for our dessert.  I just used some of our home-canned apple pie filling for filling and served with vanilla ice cream.  The crust was nice and flaky.  These will be a repeat at our house!

Check out the recipe here!

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

This is a first for me, my college roommate, Anna requested I try this one.  Not wanting to disappoint, I made them for Sunday dinner.  My family was excited because they love going to Texas Roadhouse and eating the scrumptious rolls.  To be honest, that is a rare occasion.  The kids earn free kid's meal at school, so we save up and enjoy the opportunity to celebrate their successes.

Here goes Anna!  These were yummy rolls and relatively easy to make.  The recipe shows two different recipes for the cinnamon butter and we definitely had a preference.  I made some adjustments and it still worked.  I think next time I'll 1/2 whole wheat.  My daughter begged me not to do it this time, I figured I wouldn't try too many changes first try.

Texas Road House Rolls (adapted from Monica at A Godly Heritage)

• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 c. milk + 1/4 c. water, warmed
• 1 large egg slightly beaten
• 6 tbsp. butter + 2 T butter, melted

Place 2 cups flour , yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.  In a large glass measuring cup, combine water, milk, and egg.  Pour milk mixture into the well. Mix by hand, frequently scraping bottom and sides of bowl.

Add 6 tbsp.  melted butter and stir into the dough.  Add remaining flour, 1/3 cup at a time, and stir after each addition.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set dough in a warm place such as an oven .  Allow dough to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.  Spray a cookie sheet and your hands with cooking spray.  Divide the dough into 16 rolls.  Shape and arrange on the pan.  You may need to respray your hands.

 Brush rolls with  1 T. of melted butter.  Let rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place until doubled.  Bake rolls on middle rack for 16-18 minutes at 400 degrees. After removing rolls, brush top with remaining melted butter.( I didn't add the extra butter but it was because I forgot in the rush to feed the starving kids.)

Cinnamon Butter

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 c confectioner sugar

Stir together in a small bowl.  Serve with warm rolls.

Copycat Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza

We love making homemade pizza at our house.  Ordering out is just too expensive and I have found some great recipes.  Most of my family likes a thin crust and I love a deep dish!  Making personal pizzas takes a lot of time, so I made a couple of the small ones for the thick crust lovers and a really big one with a think crust for the rest of them.

Overall, I was really pleased with the results and plan to try it again with whole wheat flour.  I like my pizza with some meat and lots of veggies.  I could only eat one piece because it was so filling.  I was very sad when one of the kids snitched my last piece before I could eat it for lunch the next day.

Enjoy!

From:  cdkitchen

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup warm water (105 degrees F)
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for dough)
9 ounces vegetable oil (3 ounce per pan)
butter flavored cooking spray
***Sauce***
1 can (8 ounce size) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

Crust:

Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk in a large (2 qt.) bowl.  Add water and stir to mix well.  Allow to sit for two minutes.  Add oil and stir again.  Add flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed. 

Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes.  Divide dough into three balls.  In three 9" cake pans, put 3 Oz. of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly.  Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle.  Place in cake pans. 

Spray the outer edge of dough with cooking spray.  Cover with a plate.   Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

Sauce: 
Combine ingredients and let sit for 1 hour. 

For Each Nine Inch Pizza:  Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.   Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge.  Distribute 1 1/2 Oz. shredded mozzarella cheese on sauce.  Place toppings of your choice in this order: Pepperoni or Ham Vegetables Meats (cooked ground sausage or beef).   Top with 3 Oz. mozzarella cheese.   Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.